2014 ETFO Collective Bargaininghttp://www.etfocb.ca
Elementary Teachers Federation of OntarioTue, 03 Mar 2015 14:36:42 +0000en-UShourly1Rise of income inequality is linked to decline of unions: IMF studyhttp://www.etfocb.ca/imf-unions-income/
http://www.etfocb.ca/imf-unions-income/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 14:36:42 +0000http://www.etfocb.ca/?p=1895The International Monetary Fund has linked the rise of poverty and income inequality to the decline in unionization. Furthermore, Canada’s income gap is the fastest-growing in the developed world – the top 1% of income earners captured 37% of income growth over the past 30 years.

To read about the report on the Press Progress wesbsite, please click on this link.

]]>http://www.etfocb.ca/imf-unions-income/feed/0Potential Strike by CUPE Local 3903 at York University: Information for ETFO Membershttp://www.etfocb.ca/cupe-potential-strike/
http://www.etfocb.ca/cupe-potential-strike/#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 19:40:00 +0000http://www.etfocb.ca/?p=1801CUPE local 3903, representing contract faculty, teaching assistants, graduate assistants and research assistants at York University, is currently in a legal strike position, and has set a strike deadline of March 3, 2015.

OTF Policy VIII Teacher Education Section A General states:

6. That in the event the faculty of a teacher education institution declares a strike in the course of collective bargaining, OTF would consider the practicum to be suspended for the duration of the strike, and OTF members would not provide associate teaching services to teachers in pre-service programs.

ETFO Members who are Associate Teachers for the York Faculty of Education

Members who may be serving as associate teachers for York University should be aware that in the event of CUPE 3903 strike action on or after March 3rd, the practicum of all teacher candidates in the Faculty of Education at York University will effectively be suspended.

ETFO Members who are Seconded to the York Faculty of Education

If you have any members who are currently seconded to the Faculty of Education at York University, they are not part of the striking bargaining unit. They should not join the strike and the expectation is that they will continue to fulfill their contractual obligations to the university. It follows, of course, that secondees should not perform any duties normally assigned to the employees who are on strike. Moreover, as in any strike involving picketing of the work place, secondees are within their rights not to report to work if they are unable to cross the picket line. Should such an instance occur, they should contact York immediately to inform their employer of their inability to work.

]]>http://www.etfocb.ca/cupe-potential-strike/feed/0Public sector workers salary demands “not outrageous”: OPSEUhttp://www.etfocb.ca/not-outrageous/
http://www.etfocb.ca/not-outrageous/#commentsSun, 01 Feb 2015 20:17:18 +0000http://www.etfocb.ca/?p=1672Public sector workers in Ontario are facing some tough negotiations, reports the CBC. With the province looking for a net-zero increase and a desire to eliminate a $12.5 billion deficit, this round of bargaining is likely to be difficult.

According to OPSEU president Warren “Smokey” Thomas, workers are looking for only a 1.5% increase.

“That’s not outrageous,” Thomas said.

To read the entire article on the CBC website, please click on this link.

]]>http://www.etfocb.ca/not-outrageous/feed/0Supreme Court upholds “fundamental right to strike”http://www.etfocb.ca/right-to-strike-supreme-court/
http://www.etfocb.ca/right-to-strike-supreme-court/#commentsFri, 30 Jan 2015 20:07:21 +0000http://www.etfocb.ca/?p=1669Despite challenges and protests by various levels of government, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the right to strike is fundamental and protected by the Constitution.

“In essentially attributing equivalence between the power of employees and employers, this reasoning, with respect, turns labour relations on its head, and ignores the fundamental power imbalance which the entire history of modern labour legislation has been scrupulously devoted to rectifying,” wrote Justice Rosalie Abella in the majority opinion.

To read the entire article in the Globe and Mail, please click on this link.

]]>http://www.etfocb.ca/right-to-strike-supreme-court/feed/0Ruling on RCMP’s right to unionize could influence B.C. teacher disputehttp://www.etfocb.ca/bctf-rcmp/
http://www.etfocb.ca/bctf-rcmp/#commentsFri, 23 Jan 2015 19:26:18 +0000http://www.etfocb.ca/?p=1656Last week’s Supreme Court decision in favour of giving RCMP officers the right to unionize will have repercussions beyond the national police force, writes Andrea Woo in the Globe and Mail.

One of the beneficiaries could be the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), currently challenging the government in the B.C. Court of Appeal for stripping teachers of their right to bargain class size and composition.

To read the entire article in the Globe and Mail, please click on this link.

]]>http://www.etfocb.ca/bctf-rcmp/feed/0Govt to close wage gap between ECEs working in licensed childcare sector and public schoolshttp://www.etfocb.ca/eces-close-gap/
http://www.etfocb.ca/eces-close-gap/#commentsWed, 21 Jan 2015 16:37:08 +0000http://www.etfocb.ca/?p=1653The Toronto Star reports that child care workers at provincially licensed centres and home daycares are getting a $1-an-hour increase this month and another dollar hike next year. Premier Kathleen Wynne made the announcement on Monday.

]]>http://www.etfocb.ca/eces-close-gap/feed/0Quebec government proposes teachers work more hrs for same salary during negotiationshttp://www.etfocb.ca/quebec-proposal-money/
http://www.etfocb.ca/quebec-proposal-money/#commentsWed, 21 Jan 2015 16:35:00 +0000http://www.etfocb.ca/?p=1651“It may sound like more working hours for the same amount of money, but the government’s chief negotiators with teachers insist their goal is to optimize performance, not save money,” writes Jason Magder in the Montreal Gazette.

]]>http://www.etfocb.ca/quebec-proposal-money/feed/0Teacher assault by students a “common occurrence”: CBChttp://www.etfocb.ca/teacher-assault-common/
http://www.etfocb.ca/teacher-assault-common/#commentsFri, 16 Jan 2015 21:15:50 +0000http://www.etfocb.ca/?p=1637A recent investigation has discovered that there are a “surprisingly high” number of assaults on teachers by students, reports CBC’s The Current.

Follow this link to read the first-hand accounts of a number of educators who have suffered traumatic and life-changing injuries.

]]>http://www.etfocb.ca/teacher-assault-common/feed/0The Netherlands, where teachers have a voicehttp://www.etfocb.ca/the-netherlands-where-teachers-have-a-voice/
http://www.etfocb.ca/the-netherlands-where-teachers-have-a-voice/#commentsFri, 16 Jan 2015 21:09:49 +0000http://www.etfocb.ca/?p=1634Teachers in the Netherlands have 200 days of class time a year. This is four weeks more than the average in North America, but the difference, as detailed by Sarah Butrymowicz in the Atlantic, is that teachers have a say in how those hours are spent.

Principals have a latitude on the use of funds, the distribution of workload, the hiring of teachers and the content of the curriculum that would be unthinkable in Canada or the United States.

To read the entire article on the Atlantic website, please click on this link.

]]>http://www.etfocb.ca/the-netherlands-where-teachers-have-a-voice/feed/0Watch the latest video from ETT about teacher workload: “I Can Handle That”http://www.etfocb.ca/i-can-handle-that/
http://www.etfocb.ca/i-can-handle-that/#commentsThu, 15 Jan 2015 16:13:21 +0000http://www.etfocb.ca/?p=1609During the 2014 bargaining round, the Elementary Teachers’ of the Toronto (ETT) Communications Committee is working to strengthen our collective voices and highlight the issues teachers face every day. The committee’s first video is about the dilemma of increasing teacher workload.